


Slaves of the Republic

by zinjadu



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Episode, F/F, F/M, Slavery, Slaves of the Republic, Undercover, Voyeurism, boundaries get pushed, it gets awkward, it never goes as planned, then it gets serious, with a little Rexsoka on the end because I'm scum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 16:31:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7765006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinjadu/pseuds/zinjadu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU of S04E12: Slaves of the Republic.  Taking on the trope of "what if Rex was the slave and Ahsoka was the seller?"  How would our heroes really feel at dealing with the wrongness that is Zygerria, the sleemo that is the queen, and the pressure to complete the mission at the expense of their own integrity?</p><p>By doing the job, of course, no matter how horrible and weird it gets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slaves of the Republic

**Now**

**Zygerria**

**The Palace**

 

“Tell me, my dear,” Queen Miraj of Zygerria drawled, looking at Ahsoka through her lashes. One clawed finger reached up to trace her white cheek markings, and Ahsoka did her best not to shudder in revulsion. “Now that we have dispensed with business for the day, might we move on to more… pleasurable topics?”

 

Ahsoka, fighting down every instinct to run away from this mad woman, smiled back, striving for a lazy, self-assured grin while she felt like a cornered animal. She did _not_ like the feeling. Rex stood nearby, for all outward appearances a well-conditioned slave, but radiating a readiness to spring into action and kill all enemies in the vicinity.

 

“I hope you’ll forgive me for that, Majesty,” Ahsoka said, making her voice husky. “But I’ve learned some things the hard way.”

 

“Ah, do not be sorry,” the queen said, sidling closer on the low settee, so close that Ahsoka’s nose was practically invaded with the queen’s perfume that masked whatever scent she might have actually had. They were in the queen’s royal apartments, guards dismissed for the evening. They were exactly where they wanted to be. Skyguy and Master Kenobi had commed earlier, saying the Togruta had been moved off planet, but had no idea where.

 

With the disruption of the sale of her people, the auction would be held tomorrow. Their only chance was to get the information out of the queen herself. But the woman had a strong mind, and could not be easily Mind Tricked.

 

Hence all of this going rather a tad further than Ahsoka had bargained for.

 

“I appreciate your reasons,” the queen continued, one hand on Ahsoka’s knee. And sliding up. “But perhaps you would be open to a few suggestions now?”

 

“Such as?” Ahsoka asked, and really, really wanted to just knock the woman out and drag her back to the ship for proper, _normal_ questioning, but that would jeopardize the mission, and seriously anger the Zygerrians, making them join the Seppies if they weren’t already.

 

Then the queen looked over at Rex, tall, tan, well-muscled, and only in a pair of tight pants and leather wrist-cuffs. And a slave collar, of course.

 

A slave collar that didn’t actually work. Not that the queen knew that.

 

“You said that you do not sample your own wares, however, this one is mine now. Perhaps you would like a little taste? Hm? A pretty young thing like you must not be immune to his… physical charms,” the queen said, brazenly eyeing them both up and down.

 

This was so, so not what Ahsoka had planned.

 

At all.

 

* * *

 

**One Day Ago**

**Aboard the _Collector_**

**Procured from Darts D’nar**

 

“Master,” Ahsoka said cautiously, aware that Anakin really, really did _not_ like slavers. But the plan had serious holes in it, and if she had learned anything in the last two years, it was that the two Jedi before her could be convinced to alter their plans. If the argument for doing so was good enough.

 

Still, it was better than even _thinking_ about challenging Master Windu’s plans.

 

“I understand why you see a need for me to pose as a slave. Neither you nor Master Kenobi could ever pass for slaves,” she said, the older Jedi giving her a brief grin at that, with a knowing twinkle in his blue eyes. “And it would allow you to be on hand to protect me, which I very much appreciate.” Skyguy looked at her warily, then, knowing she was up to something, but unsure as to what.

 

“Alright, Ahsoka. You see a problem with the plan, I take it?” he asked mildly, gesturing expansively with one hand. “Care to enlighten us?” Ever aware of her Master’s moods, she waited a beat before speaking.

 

“You said that we need to get the Zygerrian queen’s attention, right? To get close to her to get the intel we need?” she asked. He nodded. “What will be so interesting about having another Togruta slave at this point? She wants something unique, something different.”

 

“I had planned on claiming that Bruno Denturri was dead, and that I had killed him,” Anakin said easily. “She’s been wanting him dead for years.”

 

“We can still use that,” Ahsoka said, pressing on. “But I still think I won’t be that interesting for her. As a slave.”

 

“Ahsoka, perhaps you could detail your _full_ reworking of this plan, rather than try to lead us gently through it. I appreciate your concession to our egos, my dear, but you need not worry,” Master Kenobi said, and she _swore_ he was laughing internally. Anakin shot his former master a sharp look, but then looked at her. He seemed to weigh something behind his eyes then nodded for her to continue.

 

“Go on, Ahsoka,” he said gently, “let’s hear it.”

 

“If I were the slaver, that would really perk her interest. My people are communal. Anyone who is overly individualistic is… odd, to say the least. A slaver? That would be a rarity of the highest order,” she said, and they were both nodding along. Then she shot a glance at Rex, who sat at ease in his armor, his helmet at his feet. He was here for the solid backup he knew how to provide to Jedi, and because he was one of the few from Umbara who she had been able to get to, to help. The rest of the 501st and the 212th were on mandatory leave.

 

He caught her glance, and she swore he knew where this was going, because he gave her the slightest, barest nod.

 

“But if I’m a slaver, we’re down a slave. I suggest, with Rex’s permission of course, that he pose as a captured slave that I’m bringing in to the queen. A captured and reprogrammed Republic clone trooper would be a slave of unparalleled uniqueness,” she suggested, and before Anakin could object to the idea of her going into the Zygerrian royal palace with only Rex for backup, she pressed on. “We could get into the palace, get close to the queen, and find out if she’s working with the Seppies. That would leave you and Master Kenobi free to infiltrate the city and look for the captured Togruta, which would make a much better team than Master Kenobi and Rex, no offence, but you two haven’t worked together as long. It just makes sense.”

 

The three men were silent for a moment, each of them privately considering her proposed changes to the plan. Rex kept his face impassive, and she hoped he wouldn’t be too mad at her for this. Master Kenobi looked merely thoughtful, compared to Skyguy, who looked like he didn’t know if he should be proud or angry.

 

“I will admit, Anakin, she makes some very valid points,” Master Kenobi said sagely. “I would, however, hesitate to order Rex to pose as a slave. Captain, if you believe you are up to the task, and if you agree that Ahsoka’s changes to the plan have merit, then I am amenable as well.”

 

“Augh,” Anakin groaned, running his flesh and blood hand over his face, as though trying to scrub away his frustration. He then looked pointedly at his captain, as though hoping to stop this madness. “Rex, its up to you.”

 

And _that_ was certainly a unique position for a clone to be in, to have three Jedi all asking him for permission to deploy him. Rex, for his part, focused his gaze on the far wall. Ahsoka would have given much to know what he was thinking, but Rex had learned early and fast how to mask his emotions from prying Jedi. Then he turned his head slightly, giving her a thoughtful look, one dark eyebrow quirked up.

 

“I’d certainly pose as a slave better than any of you,” he said, and while she could see he was partly amused, his lips curving up at the corners slightly, in his eyes was a darkness, a shadow of what happened on Umbara.

 

She instantly felt horrible for asking this of him, but she knew she was right. Then he addressed the other two Jedi more directly, sitting up fully, and facing him as the professional soldier he was made to be.

 

“I reckon the Commander’s right, sirs. None of you would do well in that role, and between her and myself, I think we can manage to get in the queen’s good graces,” he said. “Then the plan can proceed as normal.”

 

“Rex,” Anakin sighed, as though his one last hope of stopping his Padawan from doing something stupid had just gone up in smoke. “Fine,” he said sharply. “Alright, I’m outvoted, but Ahsoka, if this goes bad, you need to get out of there. _Fast_. Do you understand me?”

 

“Loud and clear, Skyguy,” she said, grinning, and doing her best to project confidence. And she was confident. Mostly.

 

* * *

 

Rex waited for the other two Jedi to clear out, off to relay the change in plans to the Council and to make their own preparations. Then he turned to his Commander. She had more than once proven herself to be a capable superior officer, someone worthy of following into battle. More, she had recently proven herself to be the best friend the _vod’e_ , and himself, had. She had all but run to their barracks when they had arrived on Coruscant, and worked to help Kix keep the men together. She had taught them meditation techniques, and had even taxed herself bleeding off some of the worst of it into the Force, using herself as a conduit for their pain.

 

He could remember some of the things he had told her, in confidence, that night. His fear, his anger, his self-hate a nearly physical thing, and it had all poured out of him. And she had calmly weathered the storm and helped him pick up the pieces.

 

So he knew that she didn’t ask this of him lightly, not when he had so recently had to confront head on the very nature of exactly what he and his brothers were.

 

“I know,” she said softly, “I know what I’m asking you, and I am sorry.” And that was all he needed.

 

“Don’t be sorry, Ahsoka,” he said, still not completely used to saying her given name, but she wasn’t talking to him as his commander. She was talking to him as his friend, and he found he quite liked being her friend properly, not just a fellow commanding officer who he was on friendly terms with.

 

“You do know, and if you think this is the best way to save those people, then I’ll do it,” he told her.   She gave him a tenuous smile then, but he could tell by her lekku she was still worried for him, the way they had that uncomfortable little twitch to them at the moment. “I know what I am to the Republic, but I can still make that mean something, I can still make my choices, the choices I have, mean something. I’m… I’m grateful that I can do that much, at least.”

 

“One day, Rex, you and all the _vod’e_ are going to be seen by the Republic for what you are, what you really are,” she said fiercely, and he almost pitied the idiots who tried to stand in her way. Almost. He grinned lazily, like a predator at rest.

 

“Oh? And what are we really?” he asked, trying to get back to comfortable ground with her, the easy back and forth teasing that helped keep them both on the level in stressful situations.

 

At least no one was shooting at him right now.

 

“Good men,” she said, and he knew he wasn’t getting out of this that easy. “Good men with skills, talents, and passions all your own. Men who more than deserve a chance to live more than a soldier’s life.”

 

“Don’t know what else I’d be much good for, but I know what you’re saying, and I appreciate it,” he said truthfully. He couldn’t imagine a different life for himself, unlike Cut who had found a wife and a family and a farm. No, Rex liked the work, liked being on the front lines, the man between civilians and danger, the man backing up the best Jedi in the whole damn Order. But some of his brothers, they were artists, tinkerers, quasi-scholars, healers, and they sure as hell deserved the chance to show the whole damn galaxy that they were all more than ‘just clones.’

 

“We have got to find you a hobby, Rexter,” she said, her blue eyes full of amusement, and he shifted, more comfortable now that they were back in familiar territory. He was about to retort when she held up one slim, orange hand, forestalling him. “And before you say anything, darts do not count.”

 

“Why not?” he asked, putting on a show of being incredulous. She smiled at him then, sharp canines showing.

 

“It’s a pastime, not a proper hobby. Hobbies are things like… drawing or fixing up old machines,” she said.

 

“Or following the so-called careers of dancing girls?” he asked, and she pulled a face at that.

 

“Let’s not talk about what Fives gets up to on his own time,” she said, shaking herself slightly, trying to forget about what the whole 501st referred to as the Holo-vid Incident. In Fives’ defense, he hadn’t known that Ahsoka would choose _that_ moment to barge in and ask for his help getting some information about Seppie troop placements.

 

“Well, how about we go over our part of the mission then?” he offered by way of truce, and she straightened at that. “Such as, how are _we_ going to get close to the queen?”

 

“Ah, well, see, the original plan was for Skyguy to be smooth at her, you know, lay on the flattery and get in her good graces, and then, get her to talk about the war and the Seppies. Luckily, the report on her indicates that she has… um, broad tastes, I suppose you could say,” Ahsoka said, her lekku flushing slightly. It took an effort, but Rex refrained from laughing. The idea of his Commander seducing the Zygerrian queen was almost too much to contemplate. Instead, he contained himself to a twitch of his eyebrow.

 

“So, I was thinking, that between you and me, we could manage it,” she went on, pushing past her own embarrassment. “An anti-social Togruta and a Republic clone ought to be two things she’s never had, and she’s the type to want what she’s never had.”

 

“You’re telling me we’re going to perform a tactical seduction,” he said dryly, and something about this was just so damned funny, he was amazed he wasn’t on the floor losing it.

 

“… Yes,” she said, dragging out the word with her discomfort. “But once we get her alone, and get the information we need, I can put her to sleep. We won’t actually have to _do_ anything with her.”

 

“Right,” he agreed, and he could feel the laughter bubbling up. Ahsoka shot him a look at that, clearly able to feel his amusement in spite of his control. He coughed, and tried to keep on track. “Well, we better get to the fabricators, though I don’t imagine my costume will take much time.”

 

“Ah, probably not,” she said, looking away, leaning back in her chair. “Hey Rex, I owe you for this.” He stood, picking up his helmet, and then looked at her until she met his eyes, his amusement evaporating as an old soldier’s truth bloomed in his mind.

 

“Ahsoka, if I’ve learned anything in the past couple of years, its that there’s no owing, not between soldiers, and not between friends,” he said honestly. And he didn’t have to explain more, because he saw she understood as she gazed at him steadily with those blue eyes of hers. She understood that there was no keeping track or keeping score, because out there they had to have each other’s backs. No matter what.

 

“You’re pretty smart for a twelve year old,” she said, smirk back in full force.

 

“To be fair, most twelve year olds don’t shave,” he said easily, returning her grin, before making his way to the fabricator. Behind him, he knew Ahsoka was following by the sound of her laughter ringing out, sharp and bright.

 

* * *

 

“At least the Council finds our changes acceptable,” Obi-Wan said brightly, and for all his Master’s good cheer, Anakin couldn’t help but be worried. He was currently imagining the trouble Ahsoka could get into in the palace and with the queen. Ahsoka _had_ matured a lot, he knew, but she was always too quick with her sabers. Not that he was a good role model in that respect.

 

“She will be fine, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said then, breaking into his thoughts with his soft, urbane voice, and a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You have trained her well, and she has clearly thought this through.”

 

“I know, I know, she’s not some youngling anymore, if she ever was, but…” he trailed off, a ball of sick worry knotting in his gut. He knew he shouldn’t, that he should be prepared to let his Padawan go, either when she became a Knight or she fell in battle. But he knew he was no good at it. Obi-Wan must have sensed something of his worry, no matter how hard he worked to keep it from his former Master. There was so much he kept from Obi-Wan these days, that sometimes he wished he could just let it all out, tell his friend, his brother, everything.

 

But then the doubt crept in and it all looped back around on itself to no good end.

 

“I understand your concern,” Obi-Wan said, and for a wonder, Anakin could feel that Obi-Wan really did, just maybe, understand. Stunned into silence, Anakin could only blink in disbelief at his Master. Obi-Wan chuckled softly at that. “Anakin, how do you think I felt when you pulled _another_ stunt? Or hared off on your own? My heart was in my throat every time.”

 

“Really?” Anakin asked, and he felt like he’d been punched in the heart, but in a good way. “I mean, you were always so frustrated at me all of the time, always critiquing what I was doing…”

 

“In the hopes that you would _slow down_ and stop giving me all these premature grey hairs, if you must know,” Obi-Wan said, smiling fully now. Anakin felt himself smile back in response, and a little flutter of hope beat in his heart, that maybe, just maybe Obi-Wan really could understand, that Obi-Wan had always, always cared.

 

“Well, I am sorry about that,” he said, looking away, and then turned back, a glint in his eyes. “Well, most of it.” They laughed together then, in shared memories of times gone by, when the galaxy was calmer, safer, and they could explore and keep the peace as they were meant to. After a moment, the laughter ebbed, and Anakin looked at his Master with a newfound respect and understanding.

 

“I suppose I’m lucky that Ahsoka is as mature as she is, and that she minds her studies… when I get her to sit down long enough,” Anakin said, starting to let go, just a little bit, of the worry at least. “She knows what she’s doing, and she’ll put the mission first. She’s never let me down, and I trust in that.”

 

“Quite lucky,” Obi-Wan said, his voice and expression as dry as Tatooine. Anakin grinned sharply in response.

 

* * *

 

**That Morning**

**Zygerria**

**Space Port**

 

“Tell her Majesty that Bruno Denturri is dead,” Ahsoka said with false sweetness to the guard, letting her canines show. She had fashioned a rough and ready outfit, like the ones she had seen bounty hunters wear, with sturdy pants and a jacket with all sorts of pockets, including the holsters for the blaster at her side. She knew they would take that while she was in the palace, but hopefully they would focus on the blaster and miss the sabers she had tucked up under her jacket.

 

Rex stood stoically behind her, his slave collar keyed to the controls on her wrist-comm, a distasteful but necessary addition to their costuming. What she tried _not_ to think about, however, was the fact that Rex had opted to go for the shirtless route. Clones weren’t terribly ashamed about their bodies, and she had seen all the _vod’e_ of the 501 st in various states of dress over the years. What she hadn’t seen was any of them putting themselves on _display_. He wore tight pants and only leather cuffs at his wrists, as if to declare his slave status but that he was not so dangerous as to require binders.

 

Master Kenobi had huffed in that way he did when he didn’t want anyone to know he was laughing. Skyguy looked like he had just eaten something bitter, when he had seen his Captain in that get-up. Rex had only shrugged and put the collar on.

 

Now they were dealing with first actual hurdle: belligerent guardsmen.

 

Luckily, Ahsoka had perfected her smirk ages ago. And on much more intimidating baddies.

 

“I mean, you could always turn us away, but I’m sure word will reach her eventually, and oh, won’t that be awkward for you,” she said, crossing her arms under her breasts and doing her best to look cocksure and superior.

 

“Listen, you little…” the guard started to say, then his comm chirped at him. He glared at her, but turned away to answer it. She affected not to listen, but it was hard to avoid it, considering her hearing range and all. Rocking back on her heels, she waited until the guard was done being scolded, and smirked up at him.

 

“Please, come with us, Miss Danar,” he said, and they were led up into the palace. With the briefest glance behind her, she saw Anakin and Master Kenobi fade into the crowd, their Force signatures already half gone to her senses. They would do their best to find the captured Togruta in the city, while she and Rex worked to get close to the Queen and confirm a Seppie alliance and prevent the planet from playing both sides against each other.

 

Somehow.

 

* * *

 

“Hm, you seem terribly young to have killed Denturri,” the queen mused, looking down at them from her throne, sipping something out of an elegant glass that a pretty Twi’lek girl had offered to her. She narrowed her eyes at Ahsoka. Ahsoka let the smirk out in full force then, and inclined her head, as though acknowledging a point.

 

“You should know very well, your Majesty, sometimes males underestimate females, and think that youth is a bar to understanding profit,” Ahsoka said easily. “I heard Denturri bragging about his newest prize, this one here,” she indicated Rex, “a reconditioned Republic clone, and I will admit that I am young enough to hate someone on sight.”

 

“If anyone should be hated on sight, it would be Denturri,” Queen Miraj laughed, leaning forward in her throne, eyes bright with anticipation. “Go on then, do tell us the rest.”

 

“Ah, but I am certain your Majesty can already guess the rest,” Ahsoka said, putting on a picture of deference. “You know how easy it is to trick males, how they see what they want to see. And you know how Denturri liked his drink. I will admit, that I had not planned on killing him, but I miscalculated the dose and he woke up too soon. Right in the middle of coaxing this fine specimen onto a speeder bike, I had to stop and deal with a very upset Denturri. It became self-defense at that point, but I did have to leave rather quickly.”

 

The queen laughed again, and descended her throne, coming to stand closely to Ahsoka. The other woman smelled of some kind of flower, probably native, and its cloying scent filled her nose. Then Queen Miraj looped her arm through Ahsoka’s, and she guided them to a viewing area just off the throne room.

 

“Well done, Miss Danar,” the queen said. And then the Twi’lek slave girl, a pretty thing who had served the queen her drink, dropped her tray and ran at the queen with a knife.

 

Ahsoka would have liked to say that she did it for the mission, that she knew if the queen was dead, she would get nowhere fast. But the reality was that her instincts took over. A knife, a threat, and Ahsoka _moved_ , fast and sure, she caught the girl’s arm in her hand, swung her around easily, and dropped her to the ground.

 

The knife clattered away on the hard stone.

 

Miraj, her guards, even her Prime Minster looked at Ahsoka with a kind of predatory appreciation.

 

“ _Very_ well done, Miss Danar,” the queen said smoothly. Then she turned to her Prime Minister. “See that the girl goes to reconditioning.”

 

“No!” the slave girl cried. “Death first!” And launched herself off the parapet.

 

Ahsoka’s instincts screamed at her again: _save the girl, save the girl_ , but she clamped down on them. Saving the girl would be killing herself, killing Rex, tanking the mission, putting Skyguy and Master Kenobi in danger, dooming the Togruta colonists, even harming Republic interests.

 

She watched the girl fall, and schooled her face into complete indifference while on the inside she screamed.

 

“What a shame, she was a lovely thing,” the queen murmured, and then turned to Ahsoka, eyes bright and greedy.   “You have my profound thanks, Miss Danar.”

 

“Please, call me Laan,” Ahsoka said, and they sat, trying not to give away the horror she felt. The queen signaled for another drink, and this time invited Ahsoka to partake as well. Careful, Ahsoka nursed her drink, only letting the liquid touch her lips. Everything but Togruta alcohol smelled wrong to her.

 

“With pleasure, Laan. Now, what do you bring me?” she asked, looking at Rex eagerly, as though nothing remarkable had happened. Ahsoka signaled Rex, and he came to stand before them, eyes downcast.

 

“A reconditioned Republic clone. I don’t know how Denturri got a hold of this one, but he’s relatively safe. I’ve kept the collar on him, of course, he was made to be a solider, but it seems Denturri did a good job on this one,” Ahsoka said, trying not to feel like sleemo scum for the words that were coming out of her mouth.

 

“He is remarkable. Look at me slave,” the queen commanded. “Look at me and let me see if there’s any of the soldier left in you.”

 

Ahoska wasn’t sure what that meant, but Rex must have, because when he lifted his golden eyes to look at the queen, they seemed to burn. Not with the familiar fire of a fight, but something else. Something… primal. The queen caught her breath, and then smiled, sharp teeth showing.

 

“Oh, oh yes, he is remarkable, isn’t he?” she asked, and seemed pleased at Ahsoka’s expression. Quickly schooling her features, Ahsoka tried for indifference, but it was too late, the damage had been done. The problem was, Ahsoka had no idea what her face had given away.

 

“Don’t tell me you haven’t sampled the goods, my darling,” the queen drawled. “A fine specimen like this, I would not begrudge the sharing of him, that is certain.”

 

“I don’t mix business and pleasure, Majesty,” Ahsoka said, easing back into her care-free persona. She leaned back in her chair, posture open, inviting.

 

“Well, then, perhaps we shall have to conclude business soon,” the queen said. “Come, we shall negotiate the sale of this man, and then… then I think you shall come with me to the slave auction tonight.”

 

 _Yes!_ Ahsoka thought, _my people will be there, and we can get them out!_

 

“I would be delighted, Majesty,” Ahsoka said. This could work, after all, she hoped, and shot Rex and relieved glance when no one was looking. Rex only bowed his head to her, ever so slightly, in acknowledgement.

 

* * *

 

“My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he said to the sickly Togruta male in the pit, crouching low. “And I’m here to help you and your people.”

 

“They’re all gone,” the man said softly, the loss of hope clear in his voice.

 

“Hurry up,” Anakin hissed from above.

 

“Hey!” came the shout, and Obi-Wan knew they were out of time. But then several things happened at once.

 

First, Anakin drew on the Force and proceeded to lay down the largest Mind Trick Obi-Wan had ever seen. Likely a new record, his former apprentice slammed his will into the minds of the surrounding guards, and said: “There’s nothing to see here.”

 

Second, Obi-Wan slung the Togruta over his shoulders and vaulted out of the pit.

 

Third, they ran while the Zygerrian guards were still staggered by Anakin’s _suggestion_.

 

“I don’t think the Mind Trick is meant to be so forceful, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, in between strides.

 

“Nope, its not. We better comm Ahsoka and let her know what we found out,” he said, and Obi-Wan nodded. Eventually, they found a largely empty warehouse, common to spaceports the galaxy over. Carefully, using the comm sequence to “ask” if Ahsoka could talk, they waited for her affirmative.

 

They got her loud and clear only a few moments later.

 

“I have to be quick. Apparently, I need to change for dinner and a slave auction. It’s the height of the season, you know,” Ahsoka said, sarcasm and disgust lacing her words.

 

“There might be a slight problem with that. The Togruta aren’t here, save one, the governor of Kiros, Roshti, and he doesn’t know where the others are,” Anakin said. “We saved him from a slave pit, and he might have been held back as an example of the sale on offer, and to deprive his people of their leader.”

 

“ _Kriff_ , that’ll upset the queen. Alright, well, I guess I have two jobs now, confirm the Seppie alliance _and_ get my people’s location out of the queen,” Ahsoka said.

 

“They are likely held somewhere nearby, but under Zygerrian control,” Obi-Wan said. “However, it is likely that soon travel off planet will become difficult. Anakin, I know you will not like this suggestion, but perhaps you and I should leave and make ready to rescue the colonists. Once Ahsoka has the location, she can comm us, and then we might have the element of surprise for our rescue attempt.”

 

“I don’t like it,” Anakin almost snapped. “I don’t like the idea of leaving Ahsoka and Rex here by themselves.”

 

“Master, with all due respect, we both chose to do this. We knew the risks,” Ahsoka said.

 

“And where is Rex?” Anakin demanded.

 

“Being cleaned up and made presentable,” she said. “The queen is rather specific on that regard. So nothing worse than a good bath. I’m being careful with Rex, don’t worry. I won’t let him get hurt, any kind of hurt,” Ahsoka said, and Anakin felt a swell of pride at his Padawan’s determination to care for the _vod’e_.

 

He sighed.

 

“Alright, we go, we make contact with the nearest battalion, and we get ready,” Anakin said. “Just… be careful, Snips.”

 

“I will, Skyguy. May the Force be with you,” she said.

 

“And you,” Anakin said softly, trying not to feel like he was saying good-bye. He _hated_ good-byes. Then they cut the comm, and he looked up at Obi-Wan, who was looking right back with those knowing eyes of his. Part of him was tempted to blame the older man for this, for giving into his Padawan’s idea, for suggesting they leave, and most of all for thinking of things that _made sense_ but ignored his heart’s misgivings.

 

“Trust…” Obi-Wan started to say.

 

“In the Force, right?” Anakin interrupted all but growling. Obi-Wan did not sigh, did not look away, but merely gripped Anakin’s shoulder firmly.

 

“In her,” his Master said. “Trust in her.” Anakin huffed at that, but grinned sharply after a moment.

 

“That,” he said, “I can do.”

 

* * *

 

To say that the queen was angry would have been a definite understatement. Ahsoka had been summoned to the throne room by a rather nervous looking guard, and when she had arrived, she had seen Rex already there, cleaned and polished like a statue. But it was Queen Miraj who occupied her attention.

 

“Ah, Miss Danar, just the person I was hoping to see,” the woman said, brightening, though there was still a hard edge to her, like sharp, brittle glass.

 

“How may I be of service?” Ahsoka asked, bowing deferentially.

 

“Perhaps _you_ might succeed where my men have failed,” she said, eyeing her Prime Minister Atai Molec disdainfully. The man lowered his eyes, but as soon as the queen’s back was turned, he glared at her. Ahsoka pretended not to notice, but she knew that if she was going to have to play this game for longer, she would need to pay attention to the undercurrents of power here.

 

“Earlier today, some of my property was stolen, right out from under the noses of my guardsmen. They claim to have no memory of the event, but their incompetence has disturbed very important plans,” the queen said.

 

“Majesty,” Prime Minister Atai said sharply, striding to the queen’s side. For a moment it looked like he would grab her arm, but he restrained himself. “Please, she is an outsider. Perhaps she did kill Denturri, but we cannot trust her.” Queen Miraj leveled a look of utter disregard at her Prime Minister, that even Ahsoka felt chilled.

 

“An outsider she might be, but she saved my life, and did not ask for a reward. She conducted _business_ , and properly as well,” the queen snapped. “An example you would do well to emulate, Atai.” Apparently chastened, the prime minister bowed and backed away, but there was that look again, that hate in his eyes.

 

“Yes, Majesty,” Prime Minister Atai said, voice low and, as far as Ahsoka could feel, deceptively calm. But he left, and Ahsoka felt a little relieved at that.

 

“Laan,” the queen said, addressing Ahsoka directly, “I know I promised to show you the auction, but scoundrels have upset my plans. I would like to procure your services to track down the miscreants.”

 

“I would be honored, Majesty, but, I am at something of a loss here. I’m not sure what’s going on,” she said, not even having to try to be wary. “And, I hope this does not cause offense, and I beg pardon if it does, but I don’t like going into situations without the facts.” Crossing her arms across her chest, Ahsoka hoped to cover triggering her recording device in a show of attitude.

 

Queen Miraj narrowed her eyes at that, and seemed to weigh up the young woman in front of her.   Ahsoka was not sure what the scales were balanced by, but she made a decision quickly.

 

“Of course you don’t,” the queen said, easily, and then regained her throne. “To business, then. Miss Danar, these are the facts. I had recently _procured_ a new batch of slaves, and they were to be my bargaining chip to enter the Confederacy of Independent Systems with leverage to reestablish the Slaving Empire that the _Republic_ and the _Jedi,_ ” she said, growling at the names of her enemies, “stole from us many years ago. However, it seems that the festival I had planned, offering one of the new slaves as a taste of what was to come, has been stolen. As such, the event I hoped to hold to impress Count Dooku has received a serious setback.”

 

Ahsoka kept her expression neutral, but inside she was crowing with delight. They had done it! They had gotten the admission, and more, from the queen herself, in her own voice.

 

“I presume you can see what a terrible position I am in now, Miss Danar,” the queen said. “Considering the skill you demonstrated today, I believe you might be able to track down these thieves, and bring them to me. They will then meet their fate at the auction block, like all the rest.”

 

Ahsoka waited a bit, appearing to consider. She cupped her chin with one hand, and her head bowed slightly, as if in thought. Catching Rex’s eye, there was little more they could do to communicate save look at each other, but after years together in battle, the tiniest things told them all they need to know: the cant of a shoulder, the twitch of a lekku.

 

 _Go for it_ , he seemed to say.

 

She raised her head and nodded once, smirking.

 

“I can do that. Let me interview the guardsmen, and give me access, monitored of course, to your security systems, and I might be able to catch something. I am a hunter, at heart, and its been a long while since I had proper prey,” she said, aware that she was laying it on a bit thick, but the queen seemed to eat it up. The other woman grinned like an akul, and Ahsoka had her second glimpse of the kind of insanity it took to enslave others and think it glorious.

 

“Done. Tomorrow, you shall begin. Tonight,” Queen Miraj said slowly, with a predatory smile. “Tonight you shall dine with me. The slave you brought me shall serve us.”

 

“I can’t wait, Majesty,” Ahsoka said, bowing.

 

“Neither can I, Laan,” the queen purred, and Ahsoka suddenly had a bad feeling about all of this.

 

* * *

 

**Now**

**Zygerria’s Royal Palace**

**The Queen’s Chambers**

 

No, this was not how Ahsoka had planned things to go. All the flirting and coy looks over dinner, Rex smoldering with masculine attractiveness, it all seemed to have gotten away from her.

 

Had the Togrtua been on-planet here, Ahsoka could have cut out after the queen’s admission and saved Rex easily with R2’s help. But they _needed_ that location. Skyguy and Master Kenobi were off-planet by now, readying troops to save her people, but they had no idea where to go. It could be any one of the several client planets the Zygerrians held, and they didn’t have enough manpower to attack them all at the same time.

 

They _had_ to know.

 

“Because I think you would very much like to sample him, yes? I would like to see you do it,” the queen said, purring in Ahsoka’s ear, but loud enough for Rex to hear the implicit order.

 

Rex hesitated, taking half a step toward the two women sitting on the couch, but then stopped. Ahsoka could tell he was unsure. But the mission came first. Turning on the settee, Ahsoka shifted toward her Captain.

 

“Did you not understand?” the queen said to Rex, a flash of anger in her eyes. “Let the girl have a bit of fun. I do so like to see worthy people enjoy themselves.” Thinking furiously, Ahsoka had a mad, risky idea. Her Mind Trick plan still might work. If they could distract the queen for long enough, just enough, she would lower her guard, her mind would be focused on them, not resisting outside influence. They could get the information, knock the queen out and then _run_.

 

She didn’t want to do this to him, to put him through this, but there might be no other way. With a breath, she held her hand out and beckoned him over, and he strode forward and knelt before her, trusting her.

 

Feeling a little bit sick, she said softly, her voice husky: “You heard the queen.”

 

“Yes, Mistress,” he said, voice a low rumble in his chest, and he moved close, so close, she could feel his body heat. They had been close before. Once, after a particularly nasty battle, she had even fallen asleep _on_ him. There had been no awkwardness, no tension, just two soldiers, two friends exhausted beyond anything catching sleep where they could.

 

This was a different kind of close.

 

She could feel his breath on her skin as his lips hovered just above her, not quite touching, while he also moved and positioned himself between her legs, still kneeling before her. One hand braced on the soft couch, the other lightly, ever so lightly, ran down her side, and she felt her body respond, arching into his touch.

 

Letting her head fall back, she looked at the queen, who was watching them avidly, her eyes large and dark.

 

Rex continued to touch and not touch her, and Ahsoka held her hand out, reaching for the queen’s face. Lightly stroking the fur, Ahsoka sent a sliver, the barest thread of her will along the Force and toward the other woman’s mind.

 

“Do you like watching this?” she asked. Rex looked at the queen as well, thankfully giving Ahsoka a break from his touches.

 

“Yes, don’t stop,” the queen breathed. Ahsoka could feel Rex’s anger, and she wished she could send him reassurance and abject remorse, to let him know she was sorry, so sorry he was in this position. But she couldn’t.

 

Ahsoka could feel the queen’s emotions as well, and she was almost distracted enough. Enough to get the answers they needed out of her. So she nuzzled at Rex, and using his trick, let her lips barely, barely graze over his skin, along his jaw and around his ear. She felt him shiver against her.

 

The queen felt like a storm now, a whirlwind of desire.

 

“Do you like Togruta?” Ahsoka asked, sending just a touch more of her will into that question than the last.

 

“You are remarkable, your lekku…” the queen said, voice hitching. Rex, taking his cue, touched the lekku the queen could see, softly stroking it, and although she wasn’t a Twi’lek, it still felt far, far nicer than it should.

 

“Where are there are more Togruta?” Ahsoka asked, with even more will this time.

 

“Kadavo,” the queen said without thinking. Then she blinked, and Ahsoka could tell the queen had come back to herself. “Why would you ask that?” Without delay, Ahsoka put every last scrap of will she had into the command: _sleep_.

 

The queen’s eyes rolled up into the back of her head, and she fell backwards, limp and boneless. The deepest sleep Ahsoka had ever put anyone in, fueled by more than little bit of panic and desperate need to get out of this damned place.

 

Rex withdrew quickly, rocking back on his heels in a soldier’s squat, his Captain’s face in place. His eyes though, this eyes were furious. Ahsoka avoided his look and reached for her comm.

 

“Skyguy,” she said. “Kadavo, they’re on Kadavo.”

 

“Good work, Snips,” he said, and she could hear the pride in his voice. There was going to have to be a lot she edited out of _this_ report. “Get yourselves out of there. R2 has a ship waiting.”

 

They didn’t need telling twice.

 

* * *

 

**Two Days Later**

**Aboard the _Resolute_**

**En route to Coruscant**

 

They had managed to rendezvous with Skyguy, Master Kenobi, Master Koon and the 104th as they were headed to Kiros. Ahsoka and Rex had all but fled the royal place, hoping rooftops under the cover of night to get to the spaceport where R2 waited with a ship.

 

Ahsoka had never been so glad to see the little astromech.

 

When she had given her report to the Masters, they had praised her for her quick thinking, her dedication to the mission, and for completing the mission when the situation changed. Then the Togrtua, led by their governor, had thanked her for putting her life on the line to find them.

 

She wanted to crawl into a hole at that.

 

Anakin, while not always the most perceptive, could sense her discomfort through their training bond, and he pulled her aside halfway through their journey back. The Togruta would testify before the Senate, the recorded admission would be played, and Zygerria would be unable to play both sides against the middle.

 

“What’s wrong, Snips?” he asked, looking at her with honest concern in his eyes. She shifted uncomfortably.

 

“I… I don’t know.   That whole place got to me. A girl… the girl that died, and putting Rex through being a slave, Skyguy…” she trailed off.

 

“Snips, that place, places like that, they’re not going to stand for long. I know that’s not the answer you want, but once we win this war, things will change,” he said, with all the conviction of a man who believed that he could change things. Because he was Skyguy, and always found a way.

 

But she wasn’t him. Sometimes, she had to crawl through the mud to accomplish the task. And this time the mud wasn’t washing off. So she put on a smile, thanked her Master, and said she would meditate on it, or if that failed, find him to spar.

 

He nodded, and let her go.

 

It was now the middle of the night, and they would arrive at Coruscant in the morning, ship-board time, coordinated to match the time it would be at the Temple and the Senate when they reached the system. And she was standing at Rex’s door. The only clone not part of the 104th, and a Captain, he had his own room.

 

She knocked.

 

The door opened immediately, rather than the wait it would normally be if he had been asleep. He was standing there, in the soft grey pants and long-sleeved shirt that most off-duty clones wore on ship over their body suits, and again she wished he wasn’t so damned contained.

 

“Hey Rex,” she said, and then took a breath. “I wanted to apologize, for everything. You shouldn’t have been in that position, and you have every right to be angry with me. I just wanted you to know its okay, and I hope you can forgive me.”

 

Rex looked confused, which surprised her. Then he sighed.

 

“Ahsoka, come on in. I reckon we need to talk,” he said and stood back. He was making it clear she could go, if she wanted, but this wasn’t going to get better by running from it, and she didn’t want to lose her friend over this.

 

So she walked in.

 

* * *

 

Rex considered the young woman sitting across from him. She had sat in the desk chair, which left him sitting on his narrow bunk, and for all the galaxy she looked like she wasn’t sure what to do.

 

Which might have been a first.

 

“Why do you think you needed to apologize to me?” he asked softly. He had noticed she had been avoiding him since Zygerria, and he had figured it was because he had made her uncomfortable, that he had pushed too far and overstepped a line in their friendship. But clearly, he had been wrong about that.

 

She looked at him, frowning, as though she wasn’t sure why she needed to explain this to him.

 

“Because I put you in a compromising position, I asked you to perform… actions that you should never have had to. Rex,” she said earnestly, heart in her blue eyes. “I could feel your anger.”

 

“Ah,” he said, and suddenly understood. “You thought I was angry at you? For having to… touch you like that? No, Ahsoka, no. I was angry at _her_ , at that damned queen, and the whole damned planet, and a system that lets people treat other people like toys,” he said fiercely, but keeping himself from wallowing in the anger. Jedi, Ahsoka especially, were sensitive to the emotions of others, and he had learned to keep himself steady. The anger that night in the queen’s chambers, that had been his mistake to let it bleed through like that, but he had been angry, so angry, and disgusted that she could think people were meant to be used like that.

 

“If anything, I’ve been feeling like I should apologize to you,” he continued. “You should… I mean I know the Order has rules, but you shouldn’t experience that kind of thing with me, but someone you care about.”

 

“I do care about you, Rex,” she said, and there was something in her expression he couldn’t define. He didn’t try to decipher it, trying to decipher Jedi looks got a man nowhere fast, and instead waved away her comment.

 

“You know what I mean,” he said. She cocked her head to one side, eyes thoughtful.

 

“I suppose I do,” she said, then she gave him a tentative grin. “So we’re good?”

 

“We’re good,” he answered, nodding, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch upwards in response. “How else are you holding up? I saw your face when that girl took the nosedive.” His expression was concern again, and she looked away then. They both remembered the horror they felt at watching the girl choose death over reconditioning.

 

How much worse had it been for Ahsoka, who could have saved her and had to choose not to for the sake of the mission? He had been forced to make some unpleasant calls, and men lived and died on those choices, but passive action was so much worse in some ways.

 

“Luckily only you saw it,” she said. “I think the worst thing is knowing that if I could go back and do it all again, I would still let her fall, because that one life couldn’t outweigh the lives that were in the balance. But what are we doing if _we_ treat lives like that? The Jedi teach that all life is precious, and that one life is not any more worthy than any other, but when I chose _not_ to save her, that’s what I did. I judged her life an acceptable loss.” She drew a shuddering breath and closed her eyes.

 

He reached for her, then, and held her slim burnt-orange hand in his own, larger, warm brown one. Both of their hands were rough with hard work, sabers and blasters and soldiering, and they were both strong hands. He squeezed her hand, hard, and she squeezed back for all she was worth.

 

“No, you didn’t, and you still don’t, not if you’re this torn up about it. It was a loss, but an unacceptable one, a loss that should never of happened, but did. Nothing says that losing and accepting are the same thing,” he said, projecting calm for all he was worth. She smiled darkly at him.

 

“The Jedi wouldn’t say that. They would say that I have to accept what has happened and move on,” she said.

 

“Maybe you do, but that doesn’t mean you won’t remember her, that her memory won’t guide you and help you next time you’re in a rough spot,” he said, and it was the truth. The men he had lost guided him, urged him to find a way to save more every time. More careful placements, better intel, a greater willingness to change tactics. And the 501st had one of the lower casualty rates in the Grand Army.

 

Ahsoka let out a breath then, like she had been holding it in for two days, like she had been unable to breathe at all since Zygerria.

 

“Thank you, Rex,” she said, earnest and herself again.

 

“Anytime. I’ve always got your six, Ahsoka,” he said.

 

“I know,” she said, and it sounded like all the thanks in the galaxy were in those words. Then she stood, leaving him and the room a little emptier than when she found it.

 

After she left, Rex tried to drift off, but he kept getting distracted by a memory, a memory of cool skin and a hitch in her breath. Frustrated at himself now, he punched down his pillow and commanded his body to sleep and his heart and mind to forget an impossible thing.

 

And Ahsoka, for her part, knew much about Zygerria would shadow her for some time, but what kept her awake now was his touch-but-not-touch, feather light, and the glint in his eyes as he had looked at her that night. She knew it was wrong, that friendship was all she could ever have, but _something_ had taken root and would not be easily moved. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be a sexy, fluffy thing, but then it ended up being serious and I'm not even a little bit sorry.


End file.
